We need more egg and sperm donors

Another infertility charity has been set up in the UK this week. But do we really need it? After all, in vitro fertilisation is in its twenties and there are already a number of patient, professional and public organisations working in the field.

But this new infertility charity, the National Gamete Donation Trust, is needed in the United Kingdom. It has been set up to raise public and professional awareness of the need for egg, sperm and embryo donation and it has a rather large task on its hands. For, despite 116 years of sperm donation and 16 years of egg donation, the supply of donors, particularly egg donors, still falls short of demand.

It is a strange irony of modern media coverage, that despite the large number of column inches devoted to fertility and infertility, many of the real issues facing patients and professionals, such as the limited supply of donors, remain unaired.

But it's not just the short supply of donors that poses a problem. A survey of the 55 UK clinics recruiting sperm and egg donors revealed a number of false perceptions about donation, which seem to be deterring potential donors. One such misunderstanding surrounds the issue of donor anonymity. Many sperm donors, for instance, are worried that their identity will be revealed to the child or children born as a result of their donation. Although anonymity is guaranteed to donors in the UK, recent media discussion of the campaign to withdraw anonymity has left donors concerned that the policy will change, even though British law does not permit a retrospective change in this rule.

Other people had more realistic concerns that led them to decide against donation. For example, an estimated three quarters of egg donors decided against donation when they were told about the invasive nature of the procedure. A number of men were also put off donating sperm, but in this instance because they were worried about discovering that they had a low sperm count.

Another significant finding in the research was that those clinics spending time and money on recruitment of egg and sperm donors were generally more successful in their recruitment programmes.

All this goes to show that there is significant work to be done in raising public awareness and recruiting more egg and sperm donors. But it also shows that a sustained effort can pay off.